Through Each Stage
by Arctic Husky
Summary: Throughout the journey, Chloe's emotions have been thrown askew for many reasons but that which intrigues her the most is all that she has felt for Senel. Chloe's POV, Senel x Chloe
1. Can't Swim, Can't Swim!

Woohoo, there's _finally_ a Tales of Legendia category (the ticket system succeeded!)! And I have posted the first story in the category, and thereby have also postedboth the first pairing story and the first Senel x Chloe story. Why am I stating this? 'Cause it makes me feel special.

This fanfiction will follow Chloe's emotions (toward Senel, mostly) as the storyline of Tales of Legendia passes. I plan for it to contain at least ten chapters (I have their titles, but those will be revealed as the chapters come). This originally started as exploring Chloe's thoughts when Senel finds out she can't swim, but as I kept playing the game I found myself saying, "I want to write about what she's thinking here! And here!" And so... a multi-chapter fic it is! All chapters will be in the first-person, but the tense will change along with the style of the story (ie: description-focussed, dialogue-focussed, humourous, serious, etc...)

So, without further blabbing-about-stuff-no-one-cares-about, here is the first chapter:

Summary: "Can't swim, can't swim!" Oh God, _please_ don't let him say anything…

Disclaimer: Remember how I didn't own Tales of Symphonia? Well, I also don't own Tales of Legendia or its characters.

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_Chapter I: **Can't Swim, Can't Swim!**_

_"Despicable!" The words escaped my mouth in a hiss. There was confusion in the eyes of the boy that I stared at through narrowed eyes; genuine confusion, innocence. Still, I felt no regret._

**XIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX**

I suddenly sat upright, finding myself resting upon concrete flooring with my clothes pasted to my skin by water. On reflex, I shook my arm as dogs tend to do after being given a bath. Still, I was soaked. I opened my mouth and exhaled an exaggerated sigh, sinking my face into my arms folded over my knees. It didn't cross my mind as to where I was, or how I had gotten there. It didn't even cross my mind that I had just had a near-death experience. I was simply frustrated because I despised the feeling of being wet just as much as I despised water itself. If anyone were to ever ask me, 'Chloe, who is your greatest enemy?' I would reply, 'Water!' Sure, water is not a 'who', but it is my greatest enemy nonetheless.

"Are you awake? Chloe, are you all right?"

The sound of that voice caused my body to go stiff; I remembered what had occurred. Slowly, cautiously, I raised my head so that only my eyes peered out over my knees. He was staring at me. Senel. From where I sat he seemed to hold concern in his facial expressions, but that couldn't have been right. He must have been amused, watching me fail to stay above water. _How _did_ I end up on land, anyway?_ "Coolidge, what happened?" I murmured through my knees.

"You nearly drowned. Are you all right?" he repeated.

At last, I completely lifted my head and arranged my body into a more natural sitting position. "Yeah," I basically sighed out the word, "I'm fine."

Senel walked over to where I was seated and crouched down in front of me, eye-to-eye. "I didn't know that you can't swim," he remarked. There was no sense of mocking in his voice, but I still felt insulted by his words.

"So you figured that out?" I squeaked shyly. Within a second of uttering the question, I regretted it; of course he knew. How could he not have known? He was obviously the one that had lugged me out of waterway. Before giving Senel a chance to give some smart remark, I added, "Of course you did. How could you not have? I just didn't want anyone to find out..."

Senel stood up once again, and I suddenly felt very small next to him. I was talking to a _marine_ about being unable to swim. How ironic—a marine! He must have been looking down on me in both a physical and mental way. "Why didn't you tell us that you can't sw—?"

"'Can't swim, can't swim!'" I suddenly blurted out, sending Senel aback. I placed one foot directly onto the ground, my boot's heel clanking against the concrete ground. With my hand over my leg, I pushed up to join Senel in standing. "Can you not say anything else! It's not like I'm proud of it! In fact, I'm really ashamed! So just... keep quiet, okay?"

He stared back at me, his left eyebrow raised slightly above his right. "Okay," his response came monotonously. The lack of expression in his voice simply furthered my frustration with the boy. I was not completely trustworthy of Senel as things had stood before this drowning incident; at that point, however, I had no choice but to leave him with my secret. So I bit my lower lip and didn't say another word. "Come on. We need to find Will, Norma and Moses." I nodded in agreement because I understood that we needed to find our companions, though at the same time I disliked how Senel simply dropped the subject of my... inability to swim. In silence, we began to walk along the dank pathway. My eyes were constantly looking forward. My fingers were closed around the end of my cape, wringing the water out of it until it was too dry to look like it belonged in the waterways. "You still look out of it, Chloe," Senel's voice interrupted my non-existent thoughts, "Are you sure you don't need more rest or something?" he asked.

"I am _sure_, Coolidge!" Again, my voice came out stronger than Senel would have expected. "Just because I am not a marine like you, does _not_ mean that I am incapable of recovering from a swimming incident!" The marine himself stopped walking at once and locked his eyes on me. I immediately noticed how he had come to a halt by the obvious lack of footsteps, and so I stopped as well; but I didn't realize how he was staring. After a long period of silence and awkwardness, I gave into the subconscious feeling of someone leering and turned to face Senel. The sight of his intense aquamarine eyes caused my heart to give a single, overwhelming beat. Was it surprise, was it fear, was it longing that engulfed me? I dismissed all possibilities in that moment. "What do you want from me?" I asked almost helplessly; my tone was a low growl—a hopeless murmur.

The seriousness in his posture faded in an instant as he raised his arms in a shrug, "You're allowed to have flaws, Chloe."

I let out a loud huff in frustration and stomped my foot down; not in a childish manner, but simply as a means of expressing my exasperation. "I can't afford to have flaws," I said as though I were admitting something in regret. And in a way, I was. Senel hadn't the slightest clue as to what had occurred in my past; my parents' death, that man with the snake tattoo on his arm. He didn't know my intentions when I made the decision to become a knight. All that he had learned about me was that I could not swim. An immense secret of mine, sure, albeit it was never in the same league as the falling of the House of Valens; nothing was. I subconsciously felt his eyes boring into me again, hauling me out of my trance. "Please, Coolidge, keep this between us," I pleaded.

"I already told you!" his words came out forcefully; it almost felt as though they had physically pushed me back a step or two. I braced myself for another optimistic 'no one is perfect' lecture. "...Okay. I'll keep quiet." He spoke in a whisper, holding true to his promise to 'keep quiet' even then. He spoke as softly as someone trying to soothe a child, but he was not treating me as one. He was treating me as what I was: an adolescent girl whose adult mind and priorities were too unstable to be calmed with harsh and true words.

I cast my gaze down shamefully; disappointed in myself for making assumptions the way that I had. "O-oh..." I mumbled, probably inaudibly to Senel. "I... Tha—"

"Senny! C!"

The shriek of Norma's voice could cut through any conversation, despite how solid the discussion had been. Senel and I were enveloped in silence once more as our female companion sprinted up to us, the two males jogging behind her. "Were either of you harmed?" Will inquired the moment after he caught his breath.

Anxiousness washed over me like a wave; which was naturally something to be feared—by me, anyway. I stood still, only allowing my eyes to shift such that I could view Senel as he took the initiative to answer the question.

"...We're both fine."

I could breathe easily again. Senel was honourable enough to keep his word to me, and I had little doubt then that he would take his word back in the future. I hoped, as well, that he would never bring me harm or dishonour in any other way. _"Maybe,"_ I considered, _"He isn't despicable after all."_

**XIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX**

This is basically just an introduction into Chloe's attraction to Senel. Sure, it isn't much here, but she wasn't too fond of him at this point, if you recall. XD There's nothing particularly special about this first chapter, however that's how most of my first chapters are. I am still getting used to the characters' personalities and whatnot, so hopefully things shall improve as I go along. Feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Next chapter: **Truths in Training**


	2. Truths in Training

Well, it took more time than expected for me to finish this chapter. I'm very sorry for the delay! This chapter ended up being way longer than I would have anticipated. So hopefully the length makes up for the waiting. Time to get into the second chapter! (Note: I switched the scenes up a little to make it somehow fit together better... I hope it turned out all right.)

**Spoilers**: For those who have not gotten to and through chapter four, you will be spoiled!

Summary: The war approaches, uncertainties grow, people are left behind; but Chloe only wants to ask one thing: "Could you train with me?"

Disclaimer: The good folks at Namco own Tales of Legendia. I am _not_ a good folk at Namco.

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_Chapter II:_ **_Truths in Training_**

I lay awake that night, watching the ceiling above me. The moonlight shone into the room through its window, illuminating the walls a pale blue tint. Some of the light was veiled in the shadows of an obscuring tree, its branches swaying in the night breeze and making shadow puppets in my view of the ceiling. The moving darkness managed to form some rather eerie-looking shapes that would probably have frightened me had I not known their source. If Norma had woken up, she would surely have shrieked; but then again, when does Norma ever wake up without being screamed at as it is?

There were plenty of reasons to have been unable to sleep that night: the upcoming war, the forbidding of us teenagers from joining said war, the fate of Gadoria, and everything else along the lines of the great battle that was to come. The concern that plagued me the most, however, was a question that I wanted to ask. It wasn't a big question, nor a question that could have terrible consequences, really. It wasn't a question directed to a stranger, or a question that would make me criticised. There really wasn't anything to it, but I still hesitated because the question was for Senel. _"Could you train with me?"_ I'd ask. I could not think of a reason for him to say 'no' when a war was fast-approaching. We had been prohibited from battle, yes; but if I knew my companions that shared my age group, then we would be disobeying orders and showing up on the battlefield anyway.

I heard the movement of a body beneath covers from across the room. My initial reaction was to dismiss the sound considering that my friends were all prone to fidgeting in their sleep, especially during times of uneasiness. I changed my reaction, however, when I caught sight of another shadow sliding along the plain walls. _"It seems that I'm not the only one incapable of sleeping tonight,"_ I mused inwardly as I tiredly sat myself up, palms pressed against the mattress for balance. Squinting through the darkness, I could identify the people who were soundly sleeping in the beds scattered throughout the room: Norma, Moses, and even Will were resting silently. The final bed—meant for Senel—was vacant.

I tossed the comforter and sheets aside and swung my feet over the edge of the bed. Silently, I reached over to the nightstand between Norma's bed and mine and felt around for my hat. After feeling Norma's barrettes about seven times, I finally succeeded in grasping my hat, which logically should have been the easiest thing to find on that tiny table. As I placed the hat on my head, Norma began to murmur in her sleep. It hardly startled me since she did it almost every night, but I always found it rather fascinating to hear what she had to say. "No no no," her voice was pleading, "We can't... that... I don't like you that way."

I closed my eyes and sighed, a light laugh escaping with my breath. The things that that girl must have dreamed of...

"...But C does."

She added those three words while I was still chuckling. My snickers, however, quickly turned into choking coughs at Norma's complete statement. I covered my mouth, hopelessly trying to keep from waking anyone else. Amazingly, no one seemed to have heard my little laughing-turned-coughing fit. _"Norma, you will literally be the death of me,"_ I thought inwardly as I breathed heavily, making up for lost oxygen. I stood up and silently crept towards the staircase that lead upstairs. Before I stepped up them, I glanced back just to make certain that no one else was awake—everyone seemed deeply asleep. I made my way up the stairs, passed through the empty room, and then stepped outside through the open doorway.

Senel hadn't gone very far after he left the sleeping quarters. He was standing only a few metres from the building, staring wistfully at the sole tree in front of the body of water that surrounded the hermitage. It must have been paining him a lot, watching a battle that was being fought with so many from his life involved. Vaclav, a man that he unconditionally hated for all of the suffering that he had caused; Shirley, his dear 'sister' that had been taken away from him many times before; Stella, the girl that meant so so much to him; Will, the only one of our group who was stepping into battle—through time, it became clear that Senel did indeed admire the sheriff. There were probably others, too, but Senel never spoke much of the scars of his past. None of us really even knew the roots of Senel's hatred of Vaclav; clearly their knowledge of one another went beyond kidnapping Shirley. It was so much deeper. What must have pained Senel the most, though, was having to watch the occurring fight from the sidelines. He wasn't _allowed_ to do a thing to help. Like the rest of us, he was helpless.

I approached him, but he was in another world. He didn't hear me, so he didn't react to my presence. Part of me thought that I should simply leave him with his thoughts; this was rough for him as it was, and having someone else around would just stress him more. The other part of me thought that it would be better for him to have someone else around to keep his mind off of all of those deep and disturbing thoughts. The latter part of me was apparently dominating, because I placed my hand on his shoulder and spoke, "Coolidge...?" Almost immediately afterwards, I removed my hand and backed away from him.

He froze for a moment, startled back into reality. Whatever images were in his mind as he contemplated must have faded back into the tree in front of him as he continued to stare at it. Finally, he turned his head to look in my direction. "Oh, Chloe," he said, his dull voice telling me that he was still in a bit of a daze, "What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep," I answered, "And I suppose that the same could be said of you?"

Senel looked around, a frown on his face as he observed his surroundings. "Yeah. I just can't understand how the others can be sleeping like logs when... well, when..." his sentence trailed off, unfinished. He groaned in aggravation that was directed at himself; at his inability to express himself, at his lack of power, at it all...

I nodded knowingly, "It's okay. I understand." I took a few more steps towards him, yet still remained a few feet away. "You don't have to say anything."

"It's just so unwholesome, this helplessness!" Senel exclaimed at last, and I made no move to stop him. He rarely had outbursts like that one, admitting all of his doubts and frustrations. To let it all out was a healthy human thing to do. "I want nothing more than to be there, fighting for my own cause. I want to settle things one-on-one with Vaclav. I want to be there to see him die, in front of my own eyes—not end up reading it in a letter or something saying, _Oh, we succeeded in defeating Vaclav without you, the one who wanted to see his death the most!_ I'm a fighter, and my age should not be something to stand in the way of that, especially with people so important to me in the fray—"

"Coolidge," I interrupted him, and when his attention was turned towards me I couldn't help but turn away, embarrassed. "I was just as insulted as you were when Will called us..." my voice trailed off as I relived that feeling of insult.

"_Children_." Senel finished with malice, "That's what he called us."

I lowered my head, basically agreeing to his statement shamefully. I had never thought of the way that I was acting as childish; I had always thought that I had grown up too fast, posing as a knight and seeking revenge that was probably beyond my level on understanding. I never stopped to think that maybe to actually grow up I would have to admit that I was not a gallant hero—I was just a kid holding an intense grudge. "I'm not really a knight," I admitted seemingly out of nowhere.

Senel stared at me, genuinely shocked for the first time since he had seen Stella in that container of water. "You're... not?" he inquired tentatively, to which I shook my head. I had to share the truth: I had been posing as a knight all along. "But Chloe..."

"The Valens family used to be a proud order of knights," I explained, my voice bursting with pride as I spoke of my family's past glory. That pride quickly dissipated as I continued, "But five years ago, my parents were slaughtered. I was the only Valens left, and I was just a young girl. My family lost its title, along with its glory." I looked over to Senel; he was listening attentively. I was amazed by his alertness to my words. Ever since we he found out that Stella was alive he had barely processed anything that anyone was saying. He himself barely spoke. And at that moment, he was making a point to hear every word that I was saying clearly. "As I have said many times before, I came to the Legacy to find someone. That 'someone' is the man that murdered my parents. My objective is to have him suffer the same fate as the final knights of my family did." I let out a sigh, my eyes shifting down to my boots as they kicked up some dirt. "That's my story."

Senel must have been staring at me. I couldn't see it, but I could only guess. It must have seemed rather strange to him, for me to have suddenly spilled out all of the truths for my reasons to be on the Legacy. "Why are you telling me this?"

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment. Why _did_ I feel compelled to spill such a truth out of the blue? "I guess..." I lifted my eyelids open again, "Since I have learned something significant about your past, then I felt as though I should share something of mine. Besides..." I could feel a light blush spreading over my cheeks. _"Good thing it's dark,"_ I briefly mused before speaking aloud again, "If we're going to be a team, then we should be able to share such things with each other."

We grew silent for no apparent reason. When I observed Senel I could tell that he was deep in though; I could automatically conclude that Senel's mind had wandered back to the upcoming war. I wondered how I had known what he was thinking; then I realized that it was because I had been thinking about exactly the same thing. "I have to leave," Senel said suddenly, walking towards the barrier that surrounded the base.

"Wait!" I exclaimed as I ran towards Senel. I came to an immediate halt when Senel stopped and turned towards me. "You can't go alone. I—I mean... Are we all honestly just going to sit back? That's..." I paused, taking a moment to consider the people in our group; our friends. Norma, so stubborn and nosy... Moses, fearless yet caring. And of course Senel, a hotheaded leader who would do anything for those he cared for. "That's not like us at all," I concluded.

Senel walked in front of me to block my gaze. There was a discreet smirk on his lips, but I noticed it. "Are you suggesting that we just show up in battle without Will's consent?"

My eyes timidly dashed away from him, "N—not _suggesting_ it... It's just that someone else was bound to bring the idea up anyway!"

"You're right," Senel agreed, "I was about to sneak into the frontlines alone before you brought this up."

I looked at him and frowned, basically scolding him with my expression alone. I didn't like the idea of him going off on his own. For some reason, I felt that if Senel was going to go and take a risk so considerable, I wanted to be by his side. "But now," I lowered my head shyly, "we can join the war together. Fight together." As those words flowed out of my mouth, I realized that that was the ideal moment to ask Senel to train with me. With our final decision to enter the war no matter what, there would be no reason for him to refuse my proposition. "I was wondering..." I began slowly, but the final question never came out. I was interrupted for the first time in what would become a series of interruptions in conversations to come.

"Whoa! Senny, C! You're not planning on fighting without us, are ya?" Norma's voice joined the discussion and she and Moses erupted from the main building.

Senel and I glanced to each other, nodding together in an unspoken agreement. "Well..." we both let the word trail off, implying that that was exactly our intention.

"What!" Moses and Norma exclaimed in unison, causing Senel and I to laugh at the fact that they fell for our teasing. Norma pouted as she crossed her arms under her chest, "That was mean!" She stepped closer to the two of us, still holding an upset expression, "But since you laughed, I guess that means that the four of us will be a team."

Senel considered that statement as he looked at the three people in his company. "Funny," he pondered aloud, his eyes resting on me, "I thought that we already were a team."

**XIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX**

We stayed up that entire night, discussing how we would go about entering the war. We finally decided on confronting Will and assuring him that we would be mature, no matter in which way we ended up helping. After going to the Man-Eating Ruins and obtaining the Whisper Crystal, we were finally accepted as being part of the alliance.

As we sat around the long table inside the hermitage, I leaned over to Senel and whispered, "Coolidge, would you be able to meet me alone outside once it's dark?" He nodded, and it was set: I would finally ask him to train with me.

**XIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX**

Senel stepped outside and caught me staring blankly at the sole tree in front of the base. "Chloe," he spoke to get my attention. I turned towards him obediently. "Have you been waiting long?"

I gave a gentle smile as I shook my head, "No, it's fine." Without wasting any more time, I asked what which I had wanted to ask for quite a long while, "Would you like to train with me?"

It only took a few seconds for Senel to answer, "Sure." And I was very relieved.

"G—great!" I exclaimed in a mixture of a stammer and an excited squeak. When I heard the sound of my own voice I couldn't help but blush. It was hardly the time to be acting giddy over Senel agreeing to train with me; it really wasn't an appropriate time to be cheerful at all. "Ah, um..." I searched for a way to redeem myself, but I was far past the point of redemption, "Should we commence training tonight, then?" Senel gave a nod of approval. Neither Senel nor I needed to question where we would be going to train; the closest region with monsters to battle was adjacent to the hermitage, and we had learned by word of mouth that the monsters in that area were certainly estimable opponents. It seemed like an appropriate place to gather and improve our strengths before finding ourselves in more arduous combats.

Senel and I stepped through the swampy region of Maurits' hermitage. No monsters had shown their faces since we had entered the area. Either there weren't many beasts around, or they feared us; which, based on the how the villagers spoke of the strong opponents in the bog, was unlikely. I opened my mouth to remark on how desolate the place was, but before the words escaped we were both distracted by the sloshing of footsteps approaching. Senel and I turned our heads towards the sound. At first, we could see nothing through the thick fog; however soon enough a galf seemed to dissolve into place in front of us. Assisted by its fur's colours—a melange of every shade of green—it looked as though it were literally a part of the swamp's landscape.

My hand travelled to my waist on instinct, fingers closing around the hilt of my sword. _"When did I become a natural killer?"_ I briefly wondered as I pulled my sword from its sheath. I backed up slightly as the galf approached me at a rather brisk pace. I bumped into something, which startled me because the entire area was a rather flat marsh—no trees or other tall greenery at all. Quickly, I turned around to find Senel turning to me with the same startled expression that I must have been wearing. We both sighed in relief.

"Over there," Senel whispered hoarsely, pointing towards the direction that I had previously been backing towards. "Another one." I had to squint to identify even a blur through the fog, but after straining my eyes enough I saw it: another galf of the same camouflaged nature.

"Should we each take one?" I asked in the same hushed tone that Senel had addressed me in, "...Or team up?"

Senel turned to face away from me, towards the newest galf; I followed suit and turned around the face the first galf that we spotted. I assumed that that was his silent gesture saying, 'each take one'. Then again, I must have had a lot to learn about reading people's actions. Senel gripped the wrist of my hand that was clutching my sword, holding it back so that I would not attack. "We'll fight together," he told me, and then cautiously began stepping towards the galf that I was facing—backwards for him. I watchfully moved in rhythm with him until we were but a few metres from the galf. It seemed larger than the galfs that we had fought previously, but perhaps that only my subconscious mind expecting these enemies to be somehow different than the others. A low, gurgling growl was emitted from the beast. Senel swiftly released my wrist and turned to face the galf. "Now!" he exclaimed, and it didn't take the slightest thought to step into battle.

We dashed forward without any hesitation to get as close to the monster as possible, just as though we were in battle with Will and Norma backing us up. That time, however, we could not afford to make any drastic errors because there was no one there to heal us. Senel rushed right into the galf's face, slamming his bracer-clad fists into its chest and chin. I slipped around to the back of the beast, poised to make the final strike once the beast was tired. I would normally have no hesitation to onslaught an enemy with slashes and stabs, but I always tried to avoid causing any unnecessary pain when facing a galf. I suppose that I had grown sympathetic towards them because through Giet I had seen how gentle they could be. It was an error in judgment on my part to hold back, though, because I wasn't prepared for the need to defend or counterattack.

I assumed that the galf was placing its full attention on Senel, and had neglected my existence; and for some time that was true. Soon enough, however, Senel's fists had pushed the monster back enough so that it could catch sight of me in its peripheral vision. It let out a protesting roar and hastily bucked away from Senel, its front paws—claws out—rising up and skimming the marine's skin. I let out a sharp gasp as blood almost immediately reached the surface of Senel's skin; thankfully, the cuts didn't seem to be deep, so the blood was not rushing out. The galf suddenly turned towards me, the tip of its snout was only inches from my face. It bared its teeth as it growled once more, but the display of anger only lasted a moment before it began to pant. Senel had worn it out enough already. I clutched my sword tightly and leapt onto the creature's back. As expected, it lifted itself to its hind legs again; I made certain to hold onto its fur securely. Once it lowered itself to all fours again, I pointed my blade straight down and then plunged it through the monster's back with as much force as I could muster. It needed to get in there deep. Based on the galf's initial frantic reaction, and rather swift collapse to death, I would say that my sword went in deep enough to pierce its heart.

"Impact!" The sudden shout from Senel startled me with the reminder that there was another galf to defeat, and it sounded as though it had finally caught up to us.

I closed my eyes and yanked my sword from the first galf's corpse, cringing slightly at the suction-like noise that it made. Once I felt my blade moving through the thinness of the air, I opened my eyes and ran to Senel's side. "Make it rear up!" I commanded as I saw the blood trickling along Senel's abdomen, "I can quickly stab it in the heart and end this."

My companion gave a rushed nod and then charged the beast, circling it and occasionally throwing in a punch. The monster was growing agitated very quickly, and both Senel and I could read its movements well; it was acting just as the last galf had. It roared. Instead of standing there flabbergasted, Senel ran back to where I stood, "Take him, Chloe!" We watched as the beast rose to its hind legs and flailed its claws threateningly. I ignored the threats and dashed forward, and without watching any time at all I drove the end of my sword into the left side of the galf's chest. Before it began to grow frenzied over the realization of its own death, I yanked my blade from its body and sprinted back to Senel. We both observed the creature fall, motionless. Suddenly everything seemed so silent. "Let's rest for a bit..." Senel suggested wearily.

I nodded. We walked some ways back towards the hermitage before we actually took a moment to rest, though. There was no way that either of us would spend our relaxing time next to two carcasses. When we were a good distance from death, we dropped to the ground tiredly. After savouring a moment of tranquility for myself, I looked over to Senel who was using a lemon gel to take care of his wounds. As soon as the translucent gel made contact with his wound, flesh formed over it at an abnormally rapid speed. The one negative aspect of gels was that the new layer of skin formed was rather thin, and easy to be broken again. "Will is surely going to notice the tears in your clothes," I commented as I took notice of the sheared look that Senel's clothing had taken on.

"I have a spare uniform," Senel assured, analyzing his torso for any missed scrapes, "I'll wear that until this outfit can be patched up." I remained silent, which was essentially a silent agreement with Senel's plan. "Can I ask you something?" Senel suddenly blurted the question out.

I looked at him and gave him a tired smile, "Of course, Coolidge. Anything." Inwardly, I wondered what inquiry he had in mind.

"It's, uh... I was thinking about what you told me about your family," he stuttered and jumbled a few words out, searching for a way to word his question without offending me, it would have seemed. I had to stifle back a snigger at Senel's uncertain tone. Even though I could tell that he was trying to say something serious, it was still comical to hear him struggle to get words out; he was usually straightforward. And besides, he had no reason to tiptoe around subjects with me... I trusted him. "The person who... who killed your parents," he continued, "It was Stingle, wasn't it?"

"Yes," I admitted without wavering at all, "I wasn't certain at first, but in the Forest of No Return I was positive. That is why I acted the way that I did..." My mind momentarily drifted to the last one-on-one conversation that Senel and I had, "I was planning on telling you the last time that we stayed overnight at the hermitage, but Norma and Moses came out before I had the chance." I noticed that Senel had begun looking around the area; my guess was that he was seeing if there were any more monsters around. I voiced my assumption, "Do you want to have another round of training?"

Senel looked to me and smiled, "Yeah. That sounds good." He pushed himself up off of the ground and then walked over to where I still sat, "I like fighting alongside you like this, Chloe," he told me as he held his hand out. I had to turn my head away shyly as I accepted his hand and he pulled me up to my feet. I was not only left in a timid state because of his kind action, but also as a result of his words. "I never realized it before, but it's really comforting to have someone else by your side in battle."

"I understand completely," I agreed, "I always used to fight alone, but now finding myself in combat next to you... it's so much better."

I perceived the smile on Senel's face once more. It was soft and genuine. "It's reassuring to have you by my side," he told me. It felt inexplicably good to hear him say that to me. "You ready for another brawl?"

I gave him a smile that mirrored his own, "Definitely." Senel turned and started walking into the swampy region again. As he hiked away from me, a thought shot into my mind unexpectedly. It was a question for Senel, and although it was rather risqué by a stranger's standards, I had become far from a stranger to Senel. "C—Coolidge?" He stopped in his tracks and turned to me, his head tilted just slightly in puzzlement. "Before we train again, would you mind if I asked you something?"

"A question for a question," he remarked, making reference to the query that he had made a few minutes prior, "Go ahead."

I looked downwards at first, but rather quickly came to realize the withdrawn habit that I was developing. I lifted my head and stared Senel in the eye. "What kind of a person is Stella?"

Senel didn't seem at all taken aback by the question. In fact, his body seemed to completely relax at the mention of Stella's name. I unmistakably saw in that moment just how much she must have meant to him. "She's very kind," he began to speak, his voice distant as though it were lost in a world where only memories resided, "and caring," a sharp, light laugh escaped Senel's throat, "But she could be really stubborn at times. And she was always so strong when she was resolved to do something..."

I kept my eyes on Senel as he stood, living in his own reminiscences. Based on his way of describing Stella, and the overwhelming fondness in his voice, I could tell that she must have been truly amazing person. Not only for Senel, but also for everyone that had the privilege of meeting her. "It sounds like she is a wonderful person."

"She..." Senel paused for a moment as a grin like none other appeared on his face, "She _is_." I felt a pang of something against my stomach walls, but I brushed it aside. I sincerely hoped, for Senel's sake, that Stella and Shirley would both be saved... At least, I had wanted to believe that that was my deepest hope, but I was beginning to visualize other possible outcomes of our journey—Other outcomes that may have selfishly been more ideal for _me_.

I shook my head to myself, ashamed. "Come on, Coolidge. Let's train some more before morning arrives." Senel nodded to me, and then the two of us entered the swampy region once more to train together. Side by side.

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Whew, done! I hope that you enjoyed reading that all. (I still wonder how the fight scene with the galfs ended up being so long...) Please leave a review to let me know what you thought of it! Chapter three is going to be more light-hearted and humorous than the first two, so look forward to that!

Next chapter: **Girl Talk**


	3. Girl Talk

Time for chapter three: Girl Talk! This chapter is much shorter than the last one, but that's probably because it's much more light-hearted and fun. But I'll just leave it up to you to read the chapter for yourselves!

**Spoilers:** Ending of chapter four, beginning of chapter five.

Summary: When Senel leaves to speak with Shirley in the Village of the Ferines, Chloe makes the decision to talk to someone who could possibly give her advice about this little _crush_ she was developing. Who better than Norma?

Disclaimer: Neither Tales of Legendia nor its characters are owned by me, they are owned by Namco.

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_Chapter III: **Girl Talk**_

We all watched as Senel walked out of the large tent that we were staying in that night. A letter had come from Fenimore telling him to go by the water's edge just a little ways up from our tent. It had been guessed that Fenimore had arranged for him to see Shirley, the girl that we had believed to be Senel's sister. The Merines, as the general public had come to call her.

I should have been happy for Senel, getting to see Shirley again. I should have been happy for Shirley, getting to see Senel. But I wasn't; I was jealous. It was so selfish, but ever since I had learned of Senel's relationship with Stella I had been jealous of both her and Shirley. Even after Stella was gone, I was beyond envious. She still had Senel's love; and Shirley, she had the blood of her sister within her. She had the image of Stella in her, and Senel could see it.

The tent door shut with an audible swoosh, announcing that Senel was out of the room. I heard footsteps coming up beside me, and when they stopped I could see Norma out of the corner of my eye. The teenage treasure hunter and I must have been giving similar curious and yearning looks towards the door because Will was prompted to warn us, "I certainly hope that neither of you are thinking of following him."

Both Norma and I turned towards our companions; sheepish and guilty smiles on our faces. "Ha, ha!" Norma faked an innocent laugh, "Of _course_ not, Teach!" Will gave a light huff before he returned his attention to Moses and Jay. It was only a matter of seconds before the males started up a conversation.

"Norma," I unsurely uttered the name of the girl next to me.

She snapped out of her fantasy world and looked towards me, perplexed. "Hm?" she tilted her entire upper body to the right to display her confusion; it was her own exaggerated form of the standard head-tilt, "What's up, C?"

I stole another glance towards the men, and then another to the door, and finally my eyes rested on Norma again. "Can I talk to you?"

Instantaneously, the light-hearted shine in her eyes dulled down to serious. In the face of a life-or-death situation this girl could manage to joke and laugh, however when it came to girl talks or bonding she took nothing lightly. "Sure," she answered. Without exchanging any more words we walked over to the two beds furthest from the other people in the room. We each sat down on one; Norma propping her back against the backboard, me sitting with my legs over the bed's edge, hands on knees. We avoided making eye contact with each other at first, but it was only a matter of time before Norma piped up. She leaned forward in that secretive way of hers and gave me a sly look. "This is about Senny, isn't it?"

"Wha—? I mean, yeah, but...?"

"Oh, come on!" Norma exclaimed, raising her hands into the air. Her outburst obviously gained the attention of Will, Moses and Jay, whom she simply waved off as though to say, _Ignore me—_. And they obliged. Norma was careful to lower her voice as she carried on, "You _clearly_ have a _big_ crush on him."

I was never the type of person to deny that which was the truth in any way, especially when I had already been found out. Still, I could always attempt to tone the reality down a little. "Not _big_!" I objected softly, "And what do you mean by _clearly_?"

Norma giggled enthusiastically, "Clearly, to me. But I'm a girl so I have the natural ability to pick up on these things easy—I doubt that any of the boys know, if you're concerned about that." I gave a reserved nod, leaving my head slanted forward so that I stared at my hands that still rested on my knees. Again, Norma leaned a little closer, "So what is it about him that's got you uptight, C?"

"Um..." I dared to bring my head up again. "Why do you think that Shirley would want to see Coolidge now, after saying that she was busy today?" To me it was blatantly suspicious, but I couldn't help but question whether or not I was creating these suspicions out of spite. Instead of blurting out an irrelevant answer, as she was prone to doing, Norma simply shrugged. "...Am I just looking for excuses, Norma?"

She gave me a look after I spoke those words. It was a look of sympathy like none I'd ever seen. It only lasted for a fleeting moment, but it stuck out above all else. The eyes seeking escape, the eyebrows raised, the mouth turned downwards slightly, yet not so much to frown. "I dunno, C," she said at last, "I mean, if Senny and Shirl aren't bro and sis, and they love each other so much..." I let out a great sigh to which Norma responded with by grinning. A big, sneaky, conniving smirk was plastered onto her face with some permanent delight. "Then you'll just have to try harder, won't you?"

I gaped. I gaped with surprise, with shock, with interest... For a moment I even gaped with pity for Shirley. "Norma, you can't be serious! If he loves her back—"

"But what if he doesn't?" she cut in, "What if he started calling Shirl his sister because that's how he saw it? With the way that he loved Stella, Shirl was basically his sister-in-law anyway!" Norma seemed to be growing more and more content with each word that she spoke. It was as though she was working on an intense mathematical problem, and as she was going on she found her reasoning to be increasingly plausible—perhaps even correct. "Oh, C!" she exclaimed with a squeal, being sure to remain hushed this time, "What if that's all it is?"

Ever the downer—at least when placed next to Norma—I felt compelled to ask the question, "But what if it's not?"

"C," Norma spoke my nickname as though I had just said the most preposterous thing ever, "You're never gonna know if you don't try anything."

Her statement was both clichéd and common sense, and yet somehow it struck a cord with me. Still, I knew that I lacked the courage despite this realization; it would take time before I could say anything to Senel himself. Even an 'I like you' was asking for too much... Plus, Senel would have undoubtedly missed the point if I were to have made a general statement such as that one.

"Oh, C! Just imagine if you and Senny become a couple!" Norma's whispered and high-pitched outburst nearly made me stumble backwards in surprise. "Imagine your wedding!" she practically gasped in glee. My eyes grew wide and I could feel the warmth of my face turning red—she was thinking a little _too_ ahead for my liking.

"Norma..."

"Imagine the morning after your wedding, waking up with Senny. You'll still be draped in your wedding dress, and Senny'll have his arms around you, almost protectively—"

"Norma!" I repeated her name in a stronger tone so that she finally ceased fantasizing in my place. There was then a moment of silence during which something donned on me. "Wait. Why would I still be wearing my dress the morning after the wedding?"

This inquiry, although mere curiosity in my mind, sent Norma into a fit of giggles. "Jee, C, aren't you the feisty one?" her voice was sly, teasing.

"Huh? Wh-what?" My face must have been glowing as red as Moses' hair at that point. I held one of my hands over my nose and mouth to cover both my blush and the words that I had already uttered. "Th—that didn't even cross my mind!"

Norma snickered even more, "Well it did _now_, didn't it?"

I turned away, continuing to hold my hand over my face; it felt so warm because I was blushing so much. Norma began to laugh even louder and with more exaggeration. I didn't dare to look around the room, but I guessed that Will, Moses and Jay were staring at us. At just that instant, the room's sole door was drawn back and the topic of discussion himself stepped in. Norma was silenced at once, and I toomanaged to regain my composure. _"Someday,"_ I thought to myself as I observed Senel drop onto his bed. He turned onto his side and hid his face from the eyes of the rest of us. I turned away from him timidly, as though my thoughts were actually being heard by him, _"I will say something to you."_

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I had so much fun writing this chapter. :D I find the friendship between Chloe and Norma to be rather entertaining. Plus, I suppose that it would only make sense to have a conversation that leads up to the next chapter, the classic Thunder Monument moment. Mwahaha! Ahem. Thank you all so much for your praise in this story! I'm glad that so many people are enjoying it.

Next chapter: **A Moment**


	4. A Moment

Another relatively quick update, it seems. Yaaay! (Come on, 'yay' with me!) Not much so say to open the story up, so let's just get right to the basics...

**Spoilers**: Middle of chapter six, although nothing is really given away.

Summary: A moment is only a second; very brief, but it can contain something so enjoyable that will make that moment unforgettable.

Disclaimer: Yo, yo, yo! Legendia—is owned by Namc**o**! I ain't a part of that gang, so I write a disclaimer in mah bad slang!

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_Chapter IV:_ **_A Moment_**

We walk on, past the glowing platforms and over the steel bridge. Up ahead, I can see the white, glowing diamond that will tell us what the past three images that we have seen mean. In this instant, however, I'm not particularly preoccupied with that. As self-centred as it may seem, I am inwardly replaying the sad (in a pathetic way) event that just came to pass. Norma has been hassling me since we entered the Thunder Monument: "The next time there's a crash of thunder, grab onto Senny and say how scared you are. Boys become putty when they see a girl's vulnerable side!" Why I even bother to take her suggestion—or order, which is more accurate—is beyond my understanding; but I do, and I want to at least try. But what happened when I gathered up the courage to do so? Sandor, of all people, got to Coolidge first! He tossed his arms around Coolidge, shrieking out of fear—like a girl! Like... like... Just as I had intended to do! Coolidge was not at all impressed, and simply brushed Sandor off. Would he have done the same to me? According to Norma, he would appreciate that reaction, but still...

"There's the last one," the remark comes from Will, his voice steady as he stands facing the white diamond. I am impressed by how he can remain so calm when we are about to witness another instance in the history of the Ferines and Orerines.

I see Senel take a step ahead of everyone else, and I am quick to join his side. I have stepped forward with him every time we were faced with these tangible moments of the past, and I would not back down now. I am not sure why I felt compelled to be by Senel's side from the first diamond that we encountered. Perhaps it was because if something were to go wrong, I did not desire for him to be the only one to suffer. I would want to suffer with him, feel what he felt, and see what he saw. We look towards each other with a nod, and then advance to the diamond, outstretching our arms and holding the light in our hands. The light overcomes us again.

It takes a few moments before my vision returns. The whiteness dims out and I can faintly make out the images of the past. Strange, almost everything seems... blue. "**Aah**!" I cry out with realization: it's water! I am standing above an endless ocean of _water_! Frantically, I reach for whatever object is close to me; anything to cling onto so that I do not drown. I close my eyes shut tightly in hopes that maybe if I can't see, I won't even notice if I drown. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm—

"Chloe, it's okay."

What a soothing voice. I must already be in heaven...

"You're not sinking," the voice speaks this next line much softer, in a whisper that is only meant for my ears.

In the slowest possible movement, I lift my eyelids and find myself gazing at my reflection in a round, turquoise-coloured gem. I know that I have seen this gem before, but where? Oh... is it...? I bring my head upwards and stare into the eyes of the bearer of that calming voice. That aqua jewel was a part of his outfit, on his chest. And now, as we are face-to-face, I can hear Norma squeal in delight from behind me. As fate would have it, I had stumbled into the arms of Senel. Now that I have allowed the situation to process, I bring my eyes down to the water below me again. It is as though we are floating above it, but my feet feel like they are on solid ground. Even though my footing feels firm, I am still not prepared to let go of Senel. Thankfully, he neither says nor does anything to make me feel as though I should have to let go.

Words are exchanged, but I am not processing what exactly those words are. I'm having a moment. A moment of bliss, of obliviousness, and of security. It is such a comfort to know that Senel will not push me away if I need him there with me. It takes so much to accept another person's fears and to guide that person through those fears; I'm amazed that Senel is willing to stay by _my_ side. I'm so happy...

Suddenly I feel Senel take in a gasp. I glance up to him again and find his eyes looking somewhere away from our group. I follow them, and see what he has seen: in the distance, almost blending in with the water's surreal blue, there stands Shirley. "Shirley..." Senel whispers the name, and I think that only I heard it. The longing in his voice cannot be ignored. I force myself to let go of him, and as soon as I do, he runs to her.

Four companions run after him immediately, but I can't budge. What am I doing, anyway? There is no point in trying to convince a person to care for you in a way that they never will. And maybe... maybe Senel will never care for me the way that I do him. "Norma, what am I doing?" I hopelessly look over to the only one who has stayed behind with me.

"You're doing good, C," she assures me with a hug that I gladly accept. "Just don't give up! Don't let go!"

Let go? She's right. I can't do that. If I let go, he'll run to her for certain; if I hold on, then there's always a chance. "Oh, I'm not giving up," I say while pulling away from Norma and shaking my head. "I guess I just lose a bit of my spirit when I see him with Shirley. It's hard... to see them together."

Norma places her index finger on her chin thoughtfully. "This isn't so much a crush anymore," she muses, to which I can't help but wonder: then what is it _now_? "You really, _really_ like him."

I can't help myself from rolling my eyes. My voice comes out both sternly and joking at the same time, "Come now. That may be a little exaggerated, Norma." Just a little. I can't help but feel that it won't be long before that exaggeration becomes an understatement... Maybe that's because that little moment that I had didn't feel like enough. Moments are fleeting, so I want to make a point to experience many more of them. And above all, I would adore experiencing those moments with Senel. "Let's catch up with everyone," I tell Norma, and then the two of us begin running to the others. Just as we reach them, Shirley vanishes, soon followed by all of our surroundings. Her moment has also passed, and so I will wait patiently for my next turn to share one with Senel...

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Well, that was rather short. But what the hell? It was a moment, not a... uh... hour! Lame puns aside, I have to say that I could've done better with the ending of this chapter, but Norma's remarks kind of lead into the next chapter of _intensity!_ and _drama!_. I considered making a chapter for the conversation that Senel and Chloe have about Senel's past, but I've decided on incorporating that event within the next chapter. I'll try and make the next chapter quite a bit longer, too! I won't make any promises, though, 'cause I'm not sure that I'll be able to manage.

Feedback is appreciated, as always. Thank you, reviewers!

Next chapter: **Reflection**


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